Australian Procurement and Construction Council Inc
Australian Construction Industry Forum
IMPROVING PROJECT DOCUMENTATION
A GUIDE TO IMPROVE CURRENT PRACTICE
A GUIDE TO IMPROVE CURRENT PRACTICE
INTRODUCTION
Poor procurement and project management can often be traced back to insufficient
planning and documentation, inadequate design briefs and a lack of clear understanding
of the various roles and responsibilities.
In addition, unrealistic expectations,
inappropriate allocation of risk and inexperienced staff contribute to poor process and
outcomes.
Effective procurement strategies, skilled and knowledgeable client representatives are an
important component for needed reform.
This guide establishes a number of principles and protocols to guide practices of both the
client and the consultant. The protocols follow the sequence of project establishment and
progress through to tools and techniques during the design and documentation phases of
a project. This guide is recommended for adoption by clients and design practitioners
who seek to improve documentation.
This guide is the beginning of a process of continuous improvement. It is complemented
by demonstration projects being undertaken by contributing jurisdictions and web based
information including case studies of good and bad practice, and tools such as checklists
and templates. It proposes the measurement of outcomes to verify whether there is
improvement and to assess the extent of improvement in key areas. It should also help
identify opportunities for ongoing improvements to process and practice.
Improved documentation standards are most likely to occur where there is recognition of
the factors that are likely to lead to better project outcomes. It is recognised that the
practice and behavior of clients as well as the disciplines adopted by project
documentation teams will collectively contribute to the quality of service provided.
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PROJECT OBJECTIVES & STRATEGIC OUTCOMES
An apparent decline in project documentation quality over the past few years was
considered to be causing inefficiencies and costs in the construction process.
This concern led to the Australian Construction Industry Forum (ACIF) and the Australian
Procurement and Construction Council (APCC) agreeing to undertake a joint project to
identify the key issues for government as the client and buyer of services and the
construction industry as the seller and supplier of services.
The Commonwealth Department of Industry, Tourism and Resources provided the
financial support to enable the ACIF to commission research into issues relating to
project documentation. The research undertaken by CSIRO to identify common
concerns and possible solutions was completed in March 2002.
The ACIF has worked with the APCC on a series of projects, each of which aims to
improve understanding and encourage continuous improvement in the building and
construction industry.
The ACIF and the APCC outlined the following project objectives and strategic outcomes
for improving project documentation:
•
To review the current quality and standards of technical documentation in both
public and private sectors on a national basis and to assess their impact on
construction cost and time.
•
To define the best practice principles in project documentation and their application
within the construction industry.
•
To define initiatives and develop a strategy for documentation improvement.
•
To raise national awareness and promote shared solutions to good construction
documentation.
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PROJECT OBJECTIVES & STRATEGIC OUTCOMES continued…
The CSIRO and the ACIF identified the following key areas of concern in project
documentation as leading to design problems:
•
Inadequate client briefs.
•
Design details not known – ie standards not clearly defined.
•
Constructability problems.
•
Statutory compliance problems.
•
Time availability problems.
Consultants, as the suppliers of services where government is either the direct client or
the project initiator, would like to see:
•
Better agency front-end planning and better project briefs from the client.
•
Better assessment of the complexity of work required.
•
Allocation of appropriate fees and timelines commensurate with the complexity of
the work to ensure all necessary work can be done within the budget and timelines.
For this guide the definition of client is – parties inviting the receiving tenders, for example
project owner, project initiator, property manager or contractor in the supply chain.
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PRINCIPLES & PROTOCOLS
Five sets of protocols have been developed:
Protocol 1 – Client Brief & Project Establishment
•
Establishment of well defined client brief comprising key drivers and parameters
such as: budgets, functions, quality, sustainability, urban issues and commercial
returns.
•
Better articulation of requirements by the client equates to better consultant
response.
•
Client brief to include any requirements for document checking and coordination
services (which will be reflected in consultants fees offered).
•
Client may require additional advice in brief preparation, budgeting and
programming, and engage specialist expertise, as in the case of highly complex
projects. This may include engagement of facilities planners and/or independent
cost advisors that may not necessarily be part of the project team.
•
Clearly articulate client expectations of the consultant in the request for proposal
and state criteria for selection.
•
Clearly articulate the conditions of contract and obligations on the consultant i.e.
quality control, assurances.
Protocol 2 – Consultant Selection
•
Client recognition that consultant fees would be commensurate with the effort
required and selection based on non-price and price criteria to establish value.
•
Clients to inform themselves of reasonable benchmark fees (see the APCC
document on selection of consultants) required for the services being requested.
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PRINCIPLES & PROTOCOLS continued…
•
Ensure selection assessment practices are ethical and transparent.
•
Client recognition that fees and premature commitment of work will increase the
probability of inadequate documentation and claims.
Clients could consider prequalification of consultants with proven record of performance
and base selection on previous performance assessments, thereby reinforcing the
selection of the better performers.
•
Clients may insist on demonstrable quality control consultants.
•
Consultants to articulate the project methodologies including design approaches
and quality controls in response to invitations to submit proposals.
•
Primary consultants should select any secondary consultants on a value for money
basis and submit with their proposals the rationale for selection of their consultant
team.
Protocol 3 – Team Formation and Project Integration
•
At the commencement of the project, client and project team should ensure that
roles, responsibilities and obligations of all parties are clearly understood.
•
Assumptions underpinning the project and key drivers for the project should be
tested.
•
Establish and agree a design and documentation review process including review
points and agree milestones for client and project team sign-off.
•
Develop a quality plan including procedures for communication, document control
and coordination.
•
Client may create obligations on consultants to report on risk and options for
managing risk.
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PRINCIPLES & PROTOCOLS continued…
•
Obtain approvals and sign off progressively throughout the project.
•
Encourage project teams and clients to utilise tools to assist e.g. value
management.
•
Encourage establishment of integrated teams and articulate procedures for
problem resolution.
•
Encourage design and documentation teams to bring construction expertise to the
team to provide greater confidence e.g. early use of contractors on build-ability.
Recognise that different parties bring different skills.
Protocol 4 – Quality Management Incorporating Project Implementation, Design
and Documentation
•
Actively consider total cost of project (over the life cycle) as part of the design and
documentation process.
•
Develop and agree upon a range of Quality Management Tools including
checklists, review procedures and audit processes.
•
The client and project team to consider the role of independent reviewer or value
management.
•
Consultants to provide advice on the quality of documentation that could be
reasonably expected from the agreed resources allocated and timelines
established for the period.
•
Consultants to warrant that they have undertaken the design and documentation in
a manner consistent with their quality plan.
•
Use of technology by consultants to assist in documentation control and
coordination.
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PRINCIPLES & PROTOCOLS continued…
•
Project team to agree upon and nominate an experienced person responsible for
documentation coordination.
•
Quality plan to make provision for secondary consultants to be satisfied on the
completeness of information supplied by the primary consultants.
•
Obtain approvals and segmental sign off.
Protocol 5 – Consultant Obligations and Functions
•
Comply with code of ethics and professional conduct requirements concerning
quality of documentation and offer fees commensurate with the effort involved.
•
Advise the client on the adequacy of the brief and the risks associated with any
inadequate allowance for proper documentation in both budgets and programs.
•
Coordinate secondary consultants, obtain their sign-off on completeness of their
documentation, and provide overall sign-off to the client that project documentation
is comprehensive.
•
Ensure version control of documents to secondary consultants.
•
Create design and documentation coordination roles within project team.
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CONCLUSION
The ACIF and the APCC will continue to work cooperatively to encourage the
adoption of the protocols identified in this guide. The ACIF and the APCC
will work with interested stakeholders in the development of specific tools
and techniques that will assist in their application.
These protocols by clients and consultants are expected to improve project
documentation within the building and construction industry.
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Australian Procurement and Construction Council Inc
Australian Construction Industry Forum
APCC, PO Box 106, DEAKIN WEST ACT 2600
Phone: +61 02 6285 2255
Fax:
+61 02 682 3787
Email: info@apcc.gov.au
Web: www.apcc.gov.au
ACIF, PO Box 4131, MANUKA ACT 2603
Phone: +61 02 6295 6790
Fax: +61 02 6295 6893
Email: acif@acif.com.au
Web:
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www.acif.com.au